The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring materials submerged in a liquid above the free surface of said liquid.
More specifically it relates to an apparatus for the transfer of radioactive waste stored at the bottom of a pond for the purpose of introducing this waste into a reprocessing installation.
For the transfer of materials in air it is known to use apparatus comprising a shaft fixed to a helical fin and means for vibrating the shaft and its fin, said means generally being fixed to the lower part of the shaft.
More specifically in such apparatus the helical fin performs a helical reciprocating movement in such a way as to ensure the upward movement of the materials to be transferred.
Such apparatus has the disadvantage of not being suitable for the transfer of materials into an incompressible high density medium, such as a liquid.
In such a medium it is necessary to use a fin whose rigidity is sufficient to withstand without bending the mechanical stresses produced by the resistance of the medium to the vertical component of the reciprocating movement of the fin. However, the use of such a fin makes it necessary for the means to have a high electrical supply power to vibrate the fin.